Trivia / Dr. Phibes Rises Again

• Cast the Runner-Up: Peter Cushing was the original choice to play Dr. Vesalius in the first film (who was eventually played by Joseph Cotten). He has a cameo here.
• Deleted Scene: Scenes involving Beryl Reid and Terry-Thomas were cut from the original print due to arguments between the producers. Vincent Price had to be recalled to record additional dialogue to cover the gaps this created in the plot. This is the reason why Phibes says so many lines while not wired up to his speaker.
• Hostility on the Set: There was a lot of hostility between Vincent Price and Robert Quarry, particularly when Price discovered that AIP was planning to replace him with Quarry as their major horror film star. At one point, when Price discovered Quarry singing opera, Quarry said; "I'll bet you didn't know I could sing did you?", to which Price replied; "Well, I knew you weren't a fucking actor".
• The Other Darrin: Virginia North, who played Vulvania in The Abomiable Dr. Phibes, was pregnant and therefore unable to reprise the role. Valli Kemp was cast instead.
• Reality Subtext: This was the last film Vincent Price did for American International Pictures, who were planning on replacing him with Robert Quarry as their main horror star (it didn't go too well — you've barely ever heard of Quarry, right?). As a result, some of the dislike between their characters is genuine. Even more uncomfortable was in another film, Madhouse, where Price plays an iconic horror actor, and Quarry plays an exec who is deliberately trying to ruin his career.
  • In fairness, Quarry was in a major automobile accident in the late 70s that caused severe facial injuries and required a long recovery period. In the early 1980s, he was mugged, and the attackers broke his knees, ribs, and cheekbone, leading to another long recovery period. Both instances had a damaging effect on his career (you can't act if recovering from injuries), probably equal to any damage the folding of AIP did to it, though by that point prior to his accident, Quarry was already getting relegated to TV appearances and B-movies.
• What Could Have Been:
  • Frankie Howerd was offered a role.
  • Various ideas for a third film were discussed, including protecting the eternal life secret from Nazis, Phibes fighting a group of Satanists led by the grandson of Vesalius, Phibes fighting another Satanist (Christopher Lee and Donald Pleasence were considered for the part, and there would have been a scene where Phibes puts butter on one guy and boils him like a lobster) in Greece and eventually ascending to a higher plane of existence. Victoria would be an active character in the third movie, and serve as her husband's Morality Pet. At least one of the scripts was to have given the Clockwork Wizards mechanical band the power of full movement, and have them engage in a street battle with a squad of armed policemen. Several scripts were written (including one titled Brides of Phibes, which was planned to co-star Roddy McDowall as Phibes' adversary), and a few of these met Price's approval, but his ailing health prevented their production.
• You Look Familiar: Hugh Griffith and Terry-Thomas, who both appeared in the original film, return here as different characters.

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